Various plumbing construction procedures require a variety of specialty tools and parts to provide for a professional appearing installation that meets all applicable building codes. One task associated with almost every plumbing task is the cutting of pipe. Many times such pipe is empty and the cutting is a quick and easy operation. However, in many cases, a connection must be made to a piping system that is filled with water. Even though upstream shutoff valves are closed, water still remains in the pipes, sometimes gallons of it. This is especially the case in basement bathrooms that are roughed in for later finishing. In most cases the water lines are just capped with no shutoffs. In this case, with the main valve closed upstream, all of the water in pipes on the upper floors will drain down into the cut area. This type of cut-in can make a mess out of finished floors and walls.
Several attempts have been made in the past to design an effective means for pipe cutting. U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,739 in the name of Huang discloses a pipe cutter comprised of a fastening mechanism including two pivot members on both sides of a top recess, two bifurcated pivot links, two rollers on top ends of the pivot members, an upper rotary blade, and a lower transmission mechanism. The transmission mechanism is operative to pivot the fastening mechanism for forming a three-point support (i.e., the rollers and the blade) of a pipe to be cut. A number of configurations of the cutter are possible. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a means for diverting fluid from a cut pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,013,567 in the name of Myers discloses a pipe cutter comprised of a rotary head having an axis of rotation, and a housing gear is coaxial with the rotary head such that the housing gear and rotary head have a common axis of rotation. A pipe slot extends into the rotary head and the housing gear, and a pipe cradle is provided in the pipe slot and serves to receive a pipe. A cutting wheel is associated with the rotary head and a wheel biasing member urges the cutting wheel to extend into the pipe slot. A primary drive source is operatively connected to the housing gear by a gear system that rotates the housing gear and the rotary head about the common axis of rotation. Because the cutting wheel is biased to extend into the pipe slot and contacts a pipe placed therein, the cutting wheel revolves around the pipe and cuts into the pipe during rotation of the rotary head. The primary drive source may be manual or automated. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a means for diverting fluid from a cut pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,115 in the name of Walsh describes a cutting head for a portable, hand-held, power-operated pipe cutter that is constructed with at least one channel in a rotating mounting plate assembly, to permit lateral insertion of a pipe. The power-transmission arrangement employed includes at least one component that effectively spans the entrance to the channel in the mounting plate so as to ensure that driving engagement therebetween is constantly maintained. Unfortunately, this prior art example does not provide a means for diverting fluid from a cut pipe.
None of the prior art particularly describes a pipe cutter with fluid diverting means. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which cuts into pipes filled with water can be easily made without the disadvantages as described above. The present invention satisfies such a need by providing an apparatus that is convenient and easy to use, lightweight yet durable in design, and designed for diverting liquids when cutting liquid filled pipes. The pipe cutter cuts through any pipe material and includes a transparent shield that diverts water from the pipe and into a hose attachment. The present invention is simple to use, inexpensive, and designed for many years of repeated use.